Congratulations to the Finland community on the occasion of paying off the debt for their beautiful Clair Nelson Memorial Community Center. The taconite production tax, which is what the taconite companies pay instead of property taxes, was used to pay off the final debt. The taconite industry had a good year last year, so some extra money was available. Representative Dave Dill, working with Crystal Bay Township Clerk Deb Johansen and Lake County Commissioner Pete Walsh, arranged for the funds to come Finland’s way.

The original Finland Community Center was built sometime early in the 20th century and still stands, although it is now a private residence. The second Finland Community Center was useful for many years, but in its later life it was in pretty tough shape and wasn’t a very welcoming space. It was torn down in 2007, and the new Community Center was built, utilizing best practices for environmental responsibility and energy efficiency. Features include super-insulation, geothermal heating and solar panels for electricity.

Friends of the Finland Community, led by Honor Shauland, manage the beautiful new facility and it receives a lot of use. It has a commercial kitchen, a large auditorium that can double as a dining room, and lots of meeting space. Now that the building is paid for, the Friends of the Finland Community can focus their resources on running and expanding the many programs they offer citizens of Finland.

The Care Partners Senior Rides program is an exciting new resource for seniors in Cook County. Senior Rides is a volunteer-assisted transportation program that fills in the gap for transportation needs not met by Arrowhead Transit or friends and relatives. The program includes trips to Duluth and trips around the county.

Arrowhead Transit already offers low cost rides for seniors, but sometime the schedule might not be convenient, or the senior might need someone to walk with them to the doctor’s office or carry groceries to and from the car.

The Senior Rides will be staffed by trained and qualified volunteers and is available to anyone over the age of 60. They are currently recruiting volunteers, who must have a reliable vehicle and good driving record. Care Partners will reimburse mileage and provide a short training.

The next orientation is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the lower level classroom at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. Call 387-3788 to sign up or for more information.

The program gets under way after Oct. 1. It is best to schedule the rides a few days ahead by calling 387-3788. As always, you can contact WTIP for details and contact information.

The Cross River Heritage Center in Schroeder will be having its Wine and Beer Tasting Gala on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It will also be a good time to take in the current photography exhibit by Dave DeGree. Dave is a master photographer and the current exhibit includes fall color shots from last year, along with wild river pictures from the flood of June 2012. Contact Susan at 663-7706 for more information.

Everything related to the weather has been late this year, so the fall colors are late too. Here at Sawbill, this leaves us slightly bored at this time of year, so we were delighted when James DeLoria rolled in with a giant brook trout strapped to the roof of his car. James is a well-known sculptor, painter and master goldsmith. The trout on his car was actually a solo canoe, painted in the uncanny image of a brook trout. James was headed to a secret book trout lake for a little fall fishing. Maybe the brook trout canoe provides him with camouflage?